Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School

Reading Policy

Loving, Learning and Reaching Out to All

July 2016

At Our Lady’s Catholic School we endeavour to:-

  • Ensure progression of reading skills across the school.
  • Inspire pupils to read through exciting shared experiences.
  • Develop a clear understanding of the structure and language features

associated with different text types.

  • To teach pupils to decode letter-sound correspondences quickly and

effortlessly, using their phonic knowledge and skills.

  • To teach pupils to read ‘tricky’ words on sight.
  • To teach pupils to understand what they read.
  • To teach pupils to read aloud with fluency and expression.
  • To teach pupils to spell quickly and easily by segmenting the sounds in words.

Teaching and Learning

  • High quality texts are used to challenge, enthuse and engage children.
  • There is a clear progression in the teaching of reading which includes the

familiarisation of different text type, the identification of structure and

language features, modelled reading, guided reading and independent reading.

  • Progression of teaching reading includes giving children opportunities to work on

fluency and expression within their reading.

Guided Reading

Pupils are grouped by reading ability. The teacher works with each group in rotation

during the week. The task is carefully selected to provide an appropriate level of

challenge and will focus on a particular aspect of the reading process. Teachers

choose a target for each group to work on based on an assessment of their

individual needs.

Provision

Foundation Stage

We follow the Read Write Inc Programme within the Foundation stage. In Reception the pupils rapidly learn sounds and the letter or groups of letters theyneed to represent them. Simple mnemonics help them to grasp this quickly. This isespecially useful for pupils at risk of making slower progress. This learning isconsolidated daily in RWI sessions. Pupils have frequent practice in reading high frequency wordswith irregular spellings – ‘tricky words’.

We make sure that pupils read books that are closely matched to their increasing

knowledge of phonics and the ‘tricky words’. This is so that, early on, theyexperience success and gain confidence that they are readers. Re-reading anddiscussing these books with the teacher, supports their increasingly fluentdecoding.Alongside this, the teachers read a wide range of stories, poetry and non-fiction topupils, during these sessions the children are encouraged to copy, repeat and predict. Reception has a daily phonics lesson which can include learning a sound, reading abook and completing a comprehensive task. Each class has a set of Ruth Miskinresources including ......

Key Stage 1

Key Stage 1 have a 30 minutes phonics lesson each day which can include learning a

sound; reading a book and completing a comprehensive task. Each group has a set of

Ruth Miskin resources including ......

Key Stage 2

All Key Stage 2 classes now follow the Accelerated Reading Programme. The children are encouraged to read for approximately 25 to 30 minutes each day. This may be first thing in the morning or first session after lunch. It is important that the teacher acts as a role model and reads alongside the pupils.

Planning

Both Reception and Key Stage 1 use Ruth Miskin to plan each phonics and reading

lesson. They use the interactive flipcharts, sound cards and books to plan

interesting and engaging lessons.

Key Stage 2 use The Year Group Overview Document to inform weekly planning. The

units and Framework provide the basis for objectives, text types and experiences

that need to be provided. Teachers should use the objectives and units flexibly to

plan engaging and challenging learning that provides meaningful opportunities to

read and understand what they have read. Teachers have access to Hamilton Trust planning.

We have implemented a whole class reading culture in school this year (Autumn 2016). Each class has ordered a set of class reader which covers an in depth topic based on the chosen novel. A class display will be created around the novel. The same pattern will be followed in the Spring and Summer terms.

The guided reading sessions are differentiated according to ability. Teachers use the guided reading grid for each year group to record progress.

Assessment, Monitoring and Moderation

In Foundation, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 reading assessment for each child are put on the School Pupil Tracker. These are entered on a regular basis with evidence recorded on the tracker. At the end of each term reading assessments are completed and results are again recorded on the tracker. These are then a focus for the SMT. The Assessment Co-ordinator has purchased ...... Reading Assessments.

Children from Year 1 to 6 are assessed against the new curriculum

objectives for each year group. Teachers are expected to update the tracker for

their year groups termly, stating if the child has achieved an objective in Autumn,

Spring or Summer. These will then indicate if a child is emerging, developing or

secure. These are then used to inform planning and later become part of the reporting to parents.

Assessment is a critical element of our programme. The teachers assess:

  • pupils’phonic knowledge
  • thespeed at which pupils are able to read the text
  • theirunderstanding of the texts they read.

The RWI lead carries out assessments each term and records the results from the Sound and Word Assessments. This data allows us to intervene in different ways. For instance, wequickly move pupils to another group if they are progressing faster than theirpeers.

Equal opportunities and Special needs

All children must have the opportunity and the encouragement to reach their full

potential regardless of race, creed or sex. (See Equal Opportunities Policy)